9 Fan Theories to Know About the Final Season of 'Game of Thrones'

Warning: Potential spoilers ahead. All Game of Thrones fans should proceed with caution.

Season 7 of Game of Thrones hit fans with more battles, death, and romance than possibly any other season yet. From acknowledging that Jon is a Targaryen to hinting at Sam as George R.R. Martin's fictional self, Season 7 has been suspiciously good to its fans. But what will ensue in the final season? Here's what fans predict so far.

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

1) Jaime will kill Cersei.

Based on the valonqar theory, many fans have speculated over the years that Jaime is destined to kill his twin sister, Cersei, and stop the Mad Queen like he did the Mad King before her. On the show, Cersei receives a prophecy from Maggy the Frog as a child. It states she will marry the king, become queen, have three children, and watch all of them die. In the books, it goes further, predicting Cersei will die by the hands of "the valonqar." With the first three parts of the prophecy fulfilled, it stands to reason that the last part likely come true on the show. Valonqar means "little brother" in Valyrian.

While it's possible this duty could still go to Tyrion, the many theories surrounding this predictionsuggest Jaime's storyline is much more fitting for the role of valonqar. He is closer to Cersei and has more alone time with her than anyone else. If he notices his sister/lover is taking her power too far, he'll be in the perfect position to take her down, just as he did with Aerys Targaryen to save the city from burning with wildfire. This will, of course, require Jaime to have the courage to take down the person he loves most in the world.

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

2) Arya will use Jaime's face to kill Cersei.

Taking the valonqar theory one step further, fans think Arya will use her skills as No One to travel to King's Landing and kill Jaime Lannister. Once she does this, she will make a mask of his face and impersonate him, catch the queen of the Seven Kingdoms off guard, and slay her.

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

Technically, this would still fulfill Cersei's valonquar prophecy, as Arya would be wearing Jaime's face when she kills her, but Jaime wouldn't exactly betray his sister. Arya would eliminate the "last Lannisters who count" from Westeros. Finally, she'd be able to check off another name from her famous kill list.

3) Jon Snow will finally find out he's a Targaryen.

It's not really a secret that Jon Snow is actually a Targaryen, the son of Daenerys's older brother, Rhaegar, and Ned Stark's sister Lyanna. Bran Stark discovers this in the Season 6 finale, when he witnesses Jon's birth and Lyanna's death as the Three-Eyed Raven. In Season 7 Episode 3, Bran tells Sansa he needs to talk to Jon. Jon and Bran weren't yet reunited in the Season 7 finale, but their paths will almost certainly cross in Season 8, and the truth will be revealed. Plus, there's always a chance Jon proves his true lineage by riding a dragon or repelling fire.

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

4) Arya will become Lady Stoneheart.

One character fans refuse to forget from the A Song of Ice and Fire books is Lady Stoneheart, a revived zombie version of Lady Catelyn Stark. While it seems unlikely Catelyn will ever return to the show, some fans have come up with the theory that Catelyn's ASOIAF storyline might be passed on to one of her daughters.

While Sansa is a likely candidate because she is finally safe to seek revenge on all who have wronged her, Reddit user soccerperson thinks it's much more likely that a skilled mercenary like Arya would become a figure like Lady Stoneheart:

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

At this point, Arya is a force to be reckoned with. She's essentially a silent assassin who is able to take out any opponent at will, while taking on the appearance of anyone she chooses.I'm liking the theories that basically make her Lady Stoneheart. Because nobody sees Arya killing all these people, people of Westeros will create stories saying it's the ghost of Catelyn Stark getting her revenge, and that's how LSH will "show up" in the show.Arya has a bigger role to play than just killing the people on her list I feel like.

Though Arya doesn't necessarily need to be dead to become a Lady Stoneheart-like figure, a recent interview with "Beyond the Wall" director Alan Taylor hinted that one of the Stark sisters is going to die soon, making the theory that much more plausible for one of them.

5) Jon will betray Daenerys.

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

This fan theory suggests possibly the saddest ending to Game of Thrones anyone has thought up yet. It argues that Jon Snow will have to sacrifice Daenerys to become the Prince Who Was Promised and defeat the White Walkers for good.

One of the pervading GoT theories states Jon Snow is the Prince Who Was Promise, that is, a reborn Azor Ahai, who was a legendary hero forced to sacrifice his wife, Nissa Nissa, by plunging a sword through her heart to unleash its true power. This is how the powerful sword Lightbringer was created for Azor Ahai to defeat the god of darkness, or the Great Other. The legend goes on to say that the Prince Who Was Promised will one day pull Lightbringer from the fire once more to complete another hero's journey.

If Jon is, in fact, the Prince Who Was Promised, and if he falls in love with Daenerys and marries her, this would make her his Nissa Nissa. Per the legend of the forging of Lightbringer, Jon would need to sacrifice something he loved in order to create the sword. This sacrifice could very well be Dany herself, or one of her dragons—either one could be considered "fire," after all.

6) Theon will redeem himself as the Drowned God's champion.

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

Ever since he literally jumped ship to avoid having to face his Uncle Euron, Theon Greyjoy hasn't exactly been a fan favorite. Still, some fans have sided with Theon's decision, claiming his cowardice was a result of his mental and emotional trauma from his time as Ramsay Bolton's pet, "Reek."

Having been castrated, tortured, and beaten, it's understandable that such a traumatic time in Theon's life would continue to affect him long after he escaped Ramsay's clutches. According to Reddit user Topher_Lee, in order to redeem himself, Theon will need to travel to the halls of the Drowned God. There, the Drowned God will transform Theon—who has been stripped of his pride and strength—into a fearless sea warrior, giving him a new role to play in the battle for the throne and the fight against the White Walkers.

7) Bran started everything.

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

The entire plot of Game of Thrones arguably kicked off before the series began, with the actions of the Mad King, Aerys Targaryen.Reddit user NegativeKarmaSnIIfer thinks Bran might have had more to do with him than fans originally thought. In the Season 6 episode "Oathbreaker," Bran realizes the people he's watching in his visions might be able to hear him. This could lead him to try to reason with Aerys.

Though Bran is only trying to help, NegativeKarmaSnIIfer thinks Bran's voice is actually the voices Aerys heard in his head—the ones which made him paranoid and drove him mad. Eventually, Jaime Lannister killed him during the sack of King's Landing to save the city from ruin. Robert Baratheon took the throne, but Aerys's heirs, Viserys and Daenerys, survived and eventually plotted their return. It's very possible that before he even before he became the Three-Eyed Raven, Bran accidentally caused the events that kicked off Game of Thrones.

8) Jon and Daenerys are going to have a baby.

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

Even though Daenerys is technically Jon's aunt by blood, fans have been more than enthusiastic about getting this pair together. In the Season 7 finale, we finally saw the two hook up...while Bran's voiceover explains they're related. Yikes.

The third head of the dragon will be Jon and Danereys' baby. That's how her womb will quicken. I'm just saying.Only death pays for life (or something like that). Viserion's death will pay for her new child's life...

On the show, the prophecy goes, "When the sun rises in the west and sets in the east, when the seas go dry and mountains blow in the wind like leaves," Khal Drogo will return. In the ASOIAF books, it goes further: "when your womb quickens again and you bear a living child, then he will return, and not before."

On the show, Daenerys believes this means she can no longer have children. (Jon tried to convince her otherwise in the Season 7 finale.) But many fans take this as open to interpretation and support the theory that Viserion's death will pay for the life of a new child. Once Dany has another human child, Westeros will finally be saved. As for Jon's involvement, it's not uncommon for the Targaryens to want to keep their bloodline pure. If he and Daenerys were to have a baby, it would be the product of ice (Jon) and fire (Daenerys)—possibly shedding a new light on the theory of the Prince Who Was Promised.

9) The Lannisters will be their own downfall.

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

Apart from the fact that Cersei has admitted to Jaime that she is in no position to win the war against Daenerys, it's been pretty obvious from her decision-making skills this season that she is not in a good place. From destroying the Sept of Baelor to torturing Ellaria Sand by making her witness the death of her own daughter, Cersei has proven that her quest for power is becoming more and more dangerous.

Tywin was no fool and he knew that while the Lannisters were in debt to the Bank the Bank had a vested interest in their success. By paying the debt in full Cersei has allowed Tycho to wash his hands of the Lannisters altogether. After what we saw on the battlefield we have a good idea whose position is strongest and who the Bank would like to back. This clearly contributes to the dire situation in Kings Landing with no grain and limited supplies. She will not Abdicate, instead force the dragons to destroy the city at which point the Kingslayer will be the Valonqar most assume he will be. The irony of this theory is in this case the Lannisters are undone by paying their debt.

Tycho Nestoris, a representative of the Iron Bank, tells Cersei the Iron Bank will support the chosen victor of the Iron Throne once their debt is paid, not necessarily guaranteeing it will support the Lannisters. Tycho even praises Cersei for fully paying off her debt, unlike her father Tywin. In the Season 7 finale, Cersei explains to Jaime how she will use her favor with the bank to prevail in the end, but that may not be so easy.

The Lannisters' unpaid debt was what kept the Iron Bank interested in House Lannister for so long. Now that her debt is fully repaid, there is nothing obliging the Iron Bank to support Cersei if Daenerys should burn down King's Landing and win the Iron Throne. This theory even points out the ultimate irony that, should Cersei lose, House Lannister will come undone because they paid their debts.

A Part of Hearst Digital Media
Popular Mechanics participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links to retailer sites.